A Change of Heart
by cwazypaws
Summary: The Hero of Time is yet again called to action as Gannondorf is reawakened...


Change of Heart

Chapter One

A lazy day in Hyrule it was. No one was working much because of the heat and the children took the chance to play-fight each other. Zelda watched from atop her tower window. The wind blew more freely there and she enjoyed her tie alone. Turning her attention to more of the landscape, she noticed something different about the horizon. It was near sunset, but instead of the usual deep pink and red sky, there was a dark cloud. Zelda instantly felt the evil as it began to descend upon the land.

"Link!" she screamed, rushing down the stairs in a blur of color. She quickly made her way to the stables and saddled up her horse. He was at Death Mountain helping the Gorons with repairs after a Goron had accidentally blown up a bomb flower that destroyed part of the city. She made her way across Hyrule field, bolting through any in her way. Taking the quickest path she could think of, she suddenly stopped. Ahead of her was Link, slowly trotting on Epona in her direction. Sighing with relief, she met him half way.

"We need to talk." He said.

Zelda looked confused, "You know already?"

He nodded looking back to where he just came from. "I could see it clearly from the mountain. I don't know what it means, but it's coming from Valoria." His mouth was set in a grim line as he said this.

Zelda grimaced. She had come out of a meeting with their Princess only the day before. She had seemed different; Zelda just couldn't put her finger on it though. She looked back to Link and nodded. They both knew what it meant. There could only be one person alive to be capable of such evil. Gannondorf Dragmire. Shaking her head, she led Link back to the castle.

*In Valoria, a week earlier*

The group moved quick and efficiently in the unfamiliar territory. They had stumbled upon it only days before and now they were bringing in the intelligent group. The young woman at the front made a series of motions with her hand and the group spread out. She had seen the statue earlier and now, cautiously, she walked up to it. 

The man looked as though an evil longing lingered in his eyes before the statue was made. She had to admit, even though the detail was incredible, the work was shotty because it had no base to display a name with. In fact, upon further inspection she found that it looked as though the stone was somehow poured over the man and he was stuck to the ground in an everlasting casket of stone. 

She moved closer and looked into it's eyes. 'I wonder if he was real?' she thought. Suddenly, a bright light cascaded over the group and they all froze, mere statues in time. The woman, however, was unaffected. She could not notice the difference because at that moment, she was being controlled. The statue twitched in front of her and smiled. Slowly, it turned from a slate gray to a living, breathing person.

"Heh, heh, heh." He chuckled. It soon turned into an utterly evil laugh of victory. "Foolish child," he cooed, "You do not realize who you truly are do you?"

He laughed again, shaking his head. He turned his attention to himself. his gaze went down the black fabric that covered his arm, to the mark of the Triforce on his right hand. He closed it into a fist and conjured a ball of fire. Satisfied that he was back to normal, he returned his attention to his captive. Moving beside her, he gently stroked her hair.

"You are her daughter, that is almost certain," he said. Without warning, he grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground. "Tell me," he growled, "Tell me why you have come!"

He grabbed her again and smiled, his suspicions fully confirmed. While he held her squirming form by the neck with his left hand, his right glowed fiercely with his Triforce mark. His evil laugh echoed in the night as plans once again to take over Hyrule formed in his mind.

Link groomed Epona and followed Zelda back to the field for some practice before nightfall. "What do you think we should do, Link?" Zelda asked. "We don't know for sure if it _is_ him. We just have an opinion. That's not enough for the King." 

Link scowled. He felt that was all they needed. Just go and get it over with already. Gannondorf needed to be put down again. "we need to find more. We should be safe traveling to the Evil Realm together as long as you bring your bow. with all the practice we've been doing I think you're good enough to defend yourself with it." He turned and did a spin attack on the straw dummy. Even uncharged, it was strong enough to knock down the straw man. He turned and left it on the ground, several arrows still sticking out of it.

"Meet me tonight at ten o'clock at the stables. We'll double up on Epona." He turned to her again. "If we don't find him, I'm taking you back and going on to Valoria on my own." Zelda started to object but was silenced her with his hand. "I love you like a sister, Zelda. I can't put you in danger without worrying, even if you are by my side." He removed his hand and sighed. Turning, he led her back to the castle, the straw man still behind them.

~Flashback~

The young woman frolicked over the fields' small hills and spun around. She turned her face towards the sun and drank up its heat, smiling. She carefully piled her skirts and sat down slowly. She waited for a few minutes and finally her sister came, holding a small child.

"Oh, what's his name?" The young woman asked. "Link right?"

"Yes," the other answered, "What will you name yours when she arrives?"

The younger thought for a minute. "I might name her Lynei, after her aunt." The younger looked lovingly at her sister.

Lynei looked at her, surprise colored over her features. "Do you really mean that, Lyddia?" Lynei looked thoughtful for a minute. "No, name her Arianna, after our mother."

Lyddia sat a moment and replied softly, "I will. In... in memory of our mother."

  
Arianna woke in an unfamiliar room. It was nice, but she thought she recognized something about it. Suddenly, she realized she was in her mother's private chambers. They didn't look like those of a queen though. Both Princess Arianna and Queen Lyddia were simple women.

She went around the room and checked the normal exits with ease. Locked. Keeping her cool, she checked the bookcase. 'At least he doesn't know about the secret halls.' She turned at the first crossroards and made her way to her father's chambers. When she arrived at the painting, she froze. She heard voices. One was her father's, she knew, but the other she couldn't quite place.

"What do you want with my people?" The King said firmly.

"It's not your Kingdom I want, your Majesty." The other voice said. Definitely male, Arianna thought.

"Then what _do _you want, Dragmire?" He sounded harsh now.

Arianna knew something was wrong now because she recognized the voice. Dragmire was the statue she'd encountered before she was knocked out. 

"The world, your Majesty." he chuckled. "The world. And you will rule by my side with your daughter."

Arianna gasped. Both men heard and the King opened the passage before she could run. He turned back to Gannondorf. "Keep my daughter out of this!" He growled. "Her innocence will not be tainted by your evil."

Gannondorf laughed, "Unfortunately for you, your Majesty, you have no choice." Without warning, he cast a spell on the castle to immobilize them. "Now you will see true evil in the form of Gannondorf!" Taking Ariann by the hand, he cast another spell. "With Arianna, I will rule all of Hyrule and Valoria!" With that, he led her out of the chamber to finish the incantation of evil, leaving her helpless father behind.

Zelda quickly changed into her traveling clothes and made her way to the stables. She was early so she decided to visit Epona. A few moments later, Link made his appearance. "You're early." he remarked, slightly surprised.

Without another word, he saddled Epona and helped Zelda up. "To the Evil Realm." Zelda said. Link nodded, hopped on Epona, and galloped towards the Evil Realm. Holding onto Link, Zelda slowed herself down and concentrated, enjoying the feel of the wind in her hair and the powerful muscles of Epona under her. Her plan was to turn into Sheik and follow him if their worst fears were ture. Then, she could at least help him instead of spying on him and worrying to death if he gets hurt. She could probably use her Sage powers too.

Link slowed Epona to a stop and turned in the saddle. "I'm going to stop once we get past the forest." he looked forward. "We can use some of the daylight to practice in the morning, but we must rest at noon. It's close to summer and it's going to be hot." He paused for awhile, looking ahead, then continued. "I'm not going to give us both a heat stroke just because I'm eager."

Zelda just nodded, still enjoying the night breeze. Link repeated the gesture and tapped Epona with his heels. They rode on till about day break and stopped to make camp.

"Do you want to visit the Great Fairy before we continue?" Zelda asked.

Link thought for a moment. It was better than going to the Evil Realm without better defenses. "Sure, sounds good to me." Link replied. "Do you have a bottle with you?"

Zelda turned and dug into her pack. After shuffling in it for a moment, she produced the item in question. "Let's go!"

A/N- Well that's it for chapter one! Tell us what you think and we'll be sure to keep on writing more! So please R&R!


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